Tenute Guicciardini-Strozzi


History
The estate boast over 1000 years of history as the oldest document which bears testimony to the existence of Cusona Estate is dated 994AD. It was amongst the green hills of Tuscany close to the famous medieval city of San Gimignano with its imposing towers - the Medieval Manhattan - that the Villa of Cusona rose from the ground.

During the seventeenth century the descendants of the Strozzi Guicciardini family were united through a marriage in London with the Marlborough family of Sir Winston Churchill. And one should not fail to mention another famous ancestor, Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, better known as La Gioconda or Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, and whose family is still represented by the fifteenth generation of descendants.

The famous personalities and the political and economic influence of the Strozzi and Guicciardini families, linked at various times by blood relationships, have left their mark not only on Tuscany, but also on Italy and Europe.

Francesco Guicciardini , a contemporary of Niccolò Macchiavelli, who started his career as the latter's secretary, was a prominent politician, a Governor of the Papal States, a philosopher and historian. He gained fame in particular with his fundamental work “The History of Italy” in which he describes the events in Italy between 1494 and 1532, a champion and precursor of the Unity of Italy.

The Strozzis , powerful bankers, statesmen, mercenary commanders, were the great rivals of the Medici: exiled from Florence following the rise to power of Cosimo dei Medici, they built their huge fortune abroad (Naples, Rome), which then paved the way for Filippo Strozzi, having returned from exile, to construct the magnificent Palazzo Strozzi, the supreme monumental testimony to the Florentine Renaissance. Piero Strozzi was Marshal of France and Commander of the French Armed Forces; his bust is to be found in the Gallery of Battles in the castle at Versailles.

Around 1850 began the construction of the great wine cellar with underground galleries. At the beginning of the 1900s Francesco Guicciardini , the husband of Luisa Strozzi, Mayor of Florence, Minister of Agriculture and then of Foreign Affairs (1906 – 1909) made Cusona a model estate of national importance.

Ownership
The current owners are Count Robert Guicciardini and Prince Girolamo Strozzi , assisted by the latter's wife and by his daughters Natalia and Irina.

For decades Prince Strozzi has been President of the Syndicate of Vernaccia, as well as the tireless promoter of this DOCG, the first white wine in Italy to obtain this recognition. He pursues with equal energy the long tradition of a family whose name is intrinsically linked to San Gimignano, in particular to Cusona.

The two branches of the Guicciardini Strozzi family were united at various times by blood links over the course of the centuries, up to the marriage of Princess Luisa Strozzi to Count Francesco Guicciardini at the end of the 1800s. The famous figures and the political and economic influence of the two families have left their mark not only on Tuscany but also on Italy and on Europe itself.

Geography
An innovative and ambitious project to enlarge the productive capacity of the company regrouping 5 existing wine growing areas , located in different zones of Italy, under one single brand: Guicciardini Strozzi Estates .

Starting from the increase in value, from the renewal of the millenarian history and the consolidated situation of Cusona, the production is developing largely along the Maremma , an area of great potential, still largely to be discovered and tested. An area of harmonious countryside, situated between the hills and the sea, which has overcome and won the heart of Prince Strozzi, spurring him to focus on the three different wine growing zones, in the North (Bolgheri), in the centre (Montemassi) and in the South (Scansano).

Next to proceed with the venture of Pantelleria , a violent and mysterious area, with its immense silences and its intense and inebriating fragrances, swept by winds and abundantly sunny, a land to conquer and to drag inch by inch from its savage and possessive nature.

Wines


Super Tuscans

Millanni IGT

Millanni, was first produced after the 1994 harvest to celebrate, as the name suggests, the thousandth anniversary of the Cusona Estate. This special wine is made in limited quantities and only in the best vintage years. Vinification is carried out following traditional methods, including prolonged contact with the skins. Its concentration is coupled with a perfect balance of taste between spices and wood, developing a superior pleasantness.

Grape blend: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot.
Maturing: 12 months in barriques.
Color: highly concentrated ruby red.
Bouquet: intense, with very elegant perfumes of red fruit and vanilla.
Taste: intensely fruity with a perfume of cherries; evident tannins which at the same time are soft and enveloping. Excellent body and ideal for laying down.
Drink with: red meat, game, ripe cheeses; ideal for rounding off a memorable meal.
Serve at: 18 - 19° C.
Longevity: 10-20 years
Packaging: cartons of 6 Bordeaux bottles, also available in magnum size.

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Bolgheri

VignaRé - Bolgheri Superiore DOC

VignaRè is harvested in the vineyard of the same name, which is 1 kilometer from the Le Pavoniere Estate. With its natural attributes this estate has always been considered one of the most suitable winegrowing places in the area. In the late 1990's carefully selected clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot were planted; surrounded by a high hedge of oleander and eucalyptus, the vineyard suggested the idea of producing an important and elegant Bolgherese, as we are proud to consider this Wine of ours.

Grape blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot.
Maturing: 18 months in 225 liter casks
Color: intense, deep ruby red.
Bouquet: fine and broad with notes of small black fruits and pleasant spicy sensations.
Taste: full and with a great structure sustained by mature, silky tannins; nuances of coconut and tobacco, with long persistence on the palate.
Drink with: rich meat dishes and ripe cheeses.
Serve at: 18° /19° C.
Packaging: in cartons of 6 Bordeaux bottles, also available in magnum size.

Download technical sheet